BEIJING: Some of China's most persistent virus hotspots have been locked down for weeks, and in some cases months, showing the limitations of the country's contentious Covid Zero policy.
Xinjiang reported the fourth-highest number of new cases nationally for Monday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, despite some cities in the region in China's northwest locked down for 90 days. Inner Mongolia, which was sealed off in early October, saw cases jump to almost 1,800 from 1,033 a day earlier, while Henan province's infections more than doubled in a day to 747.
Guangdong province has the biggest outbreak right now, the main driver of China's national caseload rising to 7,323 new infections, the highest tally since April 30. Most of the cases are in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, which reported 2,377 infections and has taken a targeted approach to virus containment so far.
While entertainment venues and restaurants are shut in most of the city, just one district, Haizhu, has been locked down. It's where where most of the cases are being found, and the stay-at-home order was extended on Monday night.
Restrictions continue to be imposed at various levels in other Chinese cities, with Shanghai consistently locking down apartment blocks and neighborhoods where cases and close contacts are found since its city-wide lockdown was ended earlier in the year.
The swelling outbreaks show the strain China's Covid Zero strategy is facing, with even harsh lockdowns and constant mass testing failing to quickly get them under control. Health officials over the weekend reaffirmed the country's unswerving commitment to the policy, even as it hammers the economy, dashing hopes that authorities will soon move toward easing some of their strictest rules.
